How to Avoid Getting Scammed When Buying Sports Tickets

There are millions of sports fans that are always on the lookout for good sporting tickets. In the same token, there are groups of people that make a living out of scamming sports fans, by selling tickets to sporting events that are fake. If you are new to purchasing sports tickets, here are some tips so you do not get ripped off.

Go to the source

Locate the team's box office. It is generally located near or in the home venue of each team. From their box office you will be able to choose the best seats and get the best prices. You pay for the ticket at its face value, which is the ticket's suggested retail price.

Go online

If it is not possible for you to physically go to your favorite team's home turf and its box office, you can do it online. You either go to the website of the event producer or if you wish, go to the team's website. Either way, you are assured that you are getting genuine sports tickets and that you are paying for it at a fair price, although you have to understand that some service charges will be included in the price of the ticket, increasing the price slightly.

Know what genuine season tickets look like

If you are buying season tickets, make sure that you can recognize the genuine ones. For example, for most NFL teams, each ticket shows different players. You will notice that there is a larger picture of one player, with another smaller picture in one of the corners. Season tickets are also embossed with "Season Ticket Holder" on the face of the ticket. Check the official design of the event you want to watch so you do not get scammed.

Do your research

There will be times when people have to or want to sell their sports tickets for some reason. If you go by this route, make sure that you do a bit of research beforehand. Check out the seating plan for each venue, the game dates, and the cost of tickets from ticket agencies. Remember that tickets are easy to reproduce and if you are buying from a person that you do not know, be sure that you have done your research before parting with your top dollars.

Buy your sports ticket from authorized dealers

This is one of the safest places to get your tickets. You can either go to their physical outlet or buy your ticket online. It is easy to find them. The game announcements of sporting events include the outlets where you can get tickets. If you want the best seats, watch out for the presales, which are usually done a few days before the event.

Even if you are desperate to get hold of a sports ticket, keep in mind that there are plenty of scammers out there and you need to protect yourself by being aware of them. Find the good sellers and buy only from them.